Automatic valve for locomotive-cylinders.



F. MULLER.

AU'TOMATICYALVE FOR LOCOMOTIVE CYLINDERS. APPLICATION FILED MAE-(.11, 1914.

1,200,415. Patented 001;. 3,1916.

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7 TRRNZMULLER" 4 WW F. MULLER.

AUTOMATIC VALVE FOR LOCOMOTIVE CYLINDERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- H. IQH.

Patented 001;. 3,1916. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Alll lllul THE Mama s PETERS ca, WAsHINGfD n.

FRANZ Mfi'LLEZR, 0F CASSEL, GERMANY.

AUTO1YIATIC VALVE LOCOMOTIVE-CY LINDERS.

Specification of Letters Patent,

1 Patented Oct. 3, 191

Application filed March 11, 1314. Serial No. 823,999.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, FRANZ MtiLLER, of Konigs latz 4:2, Cassel, Germany, a subject of the (german Emperor, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Be lating to an Automatic Valve for Locomotive-Cylinders, of which the following is a specification.

For the no-load run of steam locomotives it is necessary, in order to avoid breakages and losses ofpower, to introduce air into the steam chest and to connect the two sides of the cylinder with each other, so that an equalization of pressure may continually take place. These requirements have been met by the institution of separate devices, in which the air entered the cylinder or steam chest by means of a separate valve device, as was also the case with the connection of the two sides of the cylinder by means of a separate pipe having a by-pass-valve, which on the application of the steam pressure is thereby automatically kept closed, but is opened when the steam pressure is stopped, under its own weight or by the vacuum formed in the steam chest. S ecial suction valves. are also connected to t e steam passages, which, when a vacuum occurs, admit exterior air which has been previously warmed, e. g. in coils, before entering the steam passages.

The present invention relates to a by-pass valve for the two sides of the cylinder in a steam locomotive, and represents a considerable improvement and simplification in comparison with the known devices serving the same purpose, as the bypass valve also serves to control the openings for connecting the steam chest with the exterior air. Consequently only one valve need be used in order to fulfil both requirements. .Any vacuum which may arise in the cylinder can as hitherto be avoided by the drain cocks of the cylinders, Even if there is-a possibility that air can get into the cylinder when the main motion organ is not in the middle position, this has nevertheless no harmful effect, as only so much air can enter as corresponds tothe cut-0E for the time being. Moreover the air has the opportunity of becoming sufficiently pie-heated on its way through the steam chest. 7

A particular form of execution of the invention consists in the fact that thevalve body, even with regard to the cylinder connection, is in the form of a seating valve or plate, the valve seatings of which open for both sides of the cylinder in the same radial plane. The closing of the valve body takes place in the same manner by the steam flowing into the steam chest on the opening of the main valve. This formation of the valve body has the ad vantage that the valve can open immediately if for any reason too high pressures should arise in the cylinders, thus avoiding breakages. The same advantage is also obtained in the case of water. hammerings, so- 5 that the valve body is at the same time a safety valve. In this form of execution it is not absolutely necessary that both valve plates are united to form one body, but they may be separated and act independently with regard to the opening of the connections made by them, while on the other hand they close simultaneously when the steam pressure is applied. A particularly advantageous arrangement results if both valve plates are fitted sleeve-shaped into each other, so that the sleeve may serve to admit the steam at the back of the valve plate thatshuts off the cylinder connection. Another suitable form of execution of the invention results if the two seat surfaces of the valve body, which close simultaneously,

for the sides of the cylinder are disposed behind each other in respect of its axis. This gives greater freedom in the choice of dimensions of the larger valve seat and it is possible to reduce the pressure above atmospheric required for opening the valve in the case of water hammerings to 20 atm. and

less. The safety given by such a valve is also considerably increased, and the pressure valves of the cylinders can be entirely dispensed with.

A further improvement is also made in the construction of the entire valve by the fact that the bent and multiform core is dispensed with, as the hole or holes of the channel can be bored from above in this straight form. 'An immediate result of this is a less waste of casting.

The drawings show several forms of execution of the invention.

Figure 1 is such a form in vertical section and Fig. 2 in horizontal section through the line 2-2 in Flg. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through another form and Fig. 4 a section through the line H in- Fig. 3. Fig 5 is a vertical section through a third form of execution, Fig. 6 a similar section througha fourth form and Fig. 7 a similar section through a fifth form.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the two sides of the cylinder are connected to the channels]; and b of the by-pass valve casing. In this is disposed a valve. body a, which is in the form of a piston valve whose upper part serves to shut off'the connection between the two sides of the cylinder. In the valve casing there is further a seat f, on whichthe valve I body a may be seated, when it shuts off the communication between the two channels I). and 2). Air inlets e are provided in the valve casing over the seat f. Underneath the valve casing, which bulges out correspondingly, is situated the connection channel c for the steam chest. Lips cZ stop the stroke of the valve body a at the lower side. The body itself is hollowed out so that the steam which, on the steam pressure being applied, arrives through the steam chest and the channel 0 in the valve casing moves the valve body a upward and thereby not only shuts off the air admission through the channels 6, but also the connection between the channels 6 and b. If however the steam is stopped, then the valve body a falls back on the lips 03 and opens the connection between both sides of the cylinder through the channels 5 and Z) and also the admission of the air into the steam chest through the channels 6. r

In Figs. 3 and 4 the channels 6 b are disposed concentrically with respect to each other and open in the same plane. The seat 9 serves to close one channel Z2 and the seat 9' to close the other channel I). The valve body a possesses corresponding seating surfaces. If the main steam valvev is opened the steam goes from the steam chest through the channel 0 into the hollow space of the valve body a and presses it on its seating surfaces at g, g and f, so that all connections are shut off. If the main valve is closed, and the engine thus runs light, the valve body falls on the supporting lips 03 on account of the removal of pressure, and therefore opens the connection between the steam chest and the connection channels 6 to the exterior air, and also the connection between the two sides of the cylinder through the channels 6 5' over the seating surface 9, so that an equalization of pressure is possible on all sides in the cylinder and steam chest. If high pressures over atmospheric or water hammerings suddenly arise in the cylinders, the valve body a is also capable of giving way and creating an equalization of pressure which removes the danger of breakages in the cylinder or in its front covers.

In the form of execution in Fig. 5 the valve body is divided into the two plates a a When the plate a rests on its seat f it shuts off the connection between the channel c, which leadsto the steam chest, and the ports 6 which open in the exterior air.

The plate a possesses seating surfaces corresponding to the seating surfaces 9 g, so that on the application of the steam pressure it shuts off the connection between the two channels 6 Z).

able to move independently of each other.

This-has the advantage that the valve plate a remains closed when the steam pressure is applied and the plate a is opened if pressures above atmospheric and water hammerings arise.

A similar form of execution to that in Fig. 5 is shown in Fig. 6. The manner of working is the same, except that the two valve plates at and a are disposed with sleeves i 2" inside each other and in the casing I In order to dispense with the need for a stuiiing-box, the valve plate a has suitably two seating surfaces 7' f lying in the same plane, in order that no exterior air can pass between the sleeves 2' and the casing in behind the valve plate a. The interior sleeve 2' possesses close under the valve plate a gaps Z, in order that the steam may also arrive behind the plate a through the channel c. The arrangement of the sleeves z 2" results principally in a positive guiding of the two valve plates a a This form of execution has also the advantage that the plates do not seal with so much force when steam pressure is applied.

In Fig. 7 the valve casing has likewise the two connection pipes b b for the sides of the cylinder and the connection 0 to the steam chest. This "alve casing has the concentric valve seats g, 9 arranged at difierent levels which are adapted to receive the valve plates a c respectively which are also concentric and arranged at different levels, and whose diameter depends on the calculations of the pressures which arise. The choice of dimensions of the shank i of the two valve plates a a offers such freedom in construction that the diameter of the larger valve p late a can be kept within advantageous limits. lower plate on account of the thinness thereofTa sure tightening of the valve is insured.

Owing to the spring action of the Unlike the form of execution in Fig. 6, the

shank z" of the cylinder valve body is not disposed 1n a sleeve of the valve body a for the steam chest, but in a sleeve 7?, closed at its bottom end. The latter valve plate is I to the outside by means of the apertures 6. Furthermore in this construction, it will be observed that there is provided an initial steam receiver chamber X in direct coment is:

1. An automatic pressure equalizing valve for steam engines comprising a valve casing having oppositely arranged cylinder communicating passages, and also having a steam chest port and air intake ports communicating with the steam chest, and valve means arranged in said casing having one part adapted to normally close the cylinder communicating passages, and having another part adapted to close the air ports which communicate With the steam chest simultaneously with the closing of the cylinder communicating passages.

2. An automatic pressure equalizing valve for steam engines including a valve casing having oppositely arranged cylinder communicating passages and also having a steam chest port and air intake'ports, and valve means including independent concentric valve members guided in said casing, and means whereby steam pressure from the steam chest port normally causes said members to simultaneously close the cylinder communicating passages and air intake ports.

3. An automatic pressure equalizing valve for steam engines including a valve casing having oppositely arranged cylinder communicating passages, a steam chest port and air intake ports, and also having spaced pressure chambers in communication with Copies of this patent may be obtained for each other by means of a passageway, a piston valve member guided in said casing an arranged so that the head thereof normally closes the cylinder communicating passages while the piston operates in one of said pressure chambers, and a second valve member concentric with said'piston valve member and located in the other of said pressure chambers, said latter valve member also being guided in the casing and normally closing said air intake ports.

l. An automatic pressure equalizing valve including a valve casing having longitudinally alined cylinder communicating passages, said casing also having air intake ports and spaced pressure chambers in communication with each other by means of a passageway, a piston valve member arranged in said casing so that the valve head thereof normally closes the cylinder passages while the piston operates in one of said pressure chambers, and a second valve member arranged in the other of said pressure chambers and adapted to normally close communication therebetween and the atmosphere through the said air intake ports.

5. An automatic pressure equalizing valve including a valve casing having longitudinally alined cylinder communicating passages, a valve seat formed in said passages, a piston valve member for said valve seat, and an independent valve member adapted to close the air intake ports and cause steam pressure to simultaneously hold the said piston valve member onto its said seat to close the passageways.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

FRANZ MULLER.

Witnesses:

HANS BAERMANN, HEINRICH Go'r'rn.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

